“Waitress” is onstage at Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre now through Aug. 31, and it just might be their best work yet.
I’ll preface this by saying “Waitress” is my favorite show, so I am biased. However, the production I saw on July 19, while everyone else was at the WNBA All-Star game, was truly something special.
Written by Jessie Nelson with music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles, “Waitress” is based on the 2007 film by Adrienne Shelly and follows Jenna (Keirsten Hodgens), a waitress and gifted pie maker, who finds herself trapped in a small town and an abusive marriage. An unexpected pregnancy threatens to crush Jenna’s dreams of opening her own pie shop until a baking contest and the town’s handsome new OBGYN Dr. Pomotter (Noah Berry) offer her “a tempting recipe for happiness.”
Stephanie Torns, who starred in the original Broadway cast of “Waitress,” returns to Beef and Boards to direct and choreograph its production. In addition to including some of the familiar choreography and staging from the original Broadway production, “Waitress” turns Beef and Boards into the cozy hustle and bustle of Joe’s Pie Diner, complete with (mostly sturdy) tables and chairs and a kitchen staging area for all of Jenna’s pie creations set against the backdrop of Highway 27.
Just like in the original, the orchestra joins the cast onstage — out of the way, but not out of sight — and interacts with the cast in various ways. It gives the show a homier feel, like everyone is welcome and included.
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The show is modern, taking place in an unnamed small town in the American South, so it follows that costume and wig design reflect that. However, each waitress shows up authentically; Jenna and Becky (Chanel Edwards-Frederick) both don their natural hair, while Dawn (Grace Atherholt) rocks a side pony. Their personalities show up in their uniforms too — from glittery tennis shoes to a colorful glasses chain.
There is whimsy if you’re willing to look for it.
The show is funny and heartfelt, from the jokes to the quirky numbers about pregnancy tests, “Negative,” to online dating anxiety, “When He Sees Me.” There are even questionable love metaphors in “I Love You Like a Table” and “Never Getting Rid of Me,” which included Dawn’s persistently bizarre love interest Ogie (Brett Mutter) accidentally breaking a chair in the most hilariously in-character way, both stunning and amusing the audience for the remainder of his scenes. Bravo.
However, “Waitress” is a morally gray show and includes issues of domestic violence and adultery alongside themes of sisterhood, self-discovery, hope and motherhood. The show doesn’t breeze through these topics either, and the pacing of Beef and Boards’ production gives each uncomfortable scene a moment to breathe, each line a second to land and each painfully beautiful song a beat to resonate.
Earl’s (Logan Moore) solo, “You Will Still Be Mine” showcases how sometimes the love in a marriage dies when the person you thought you knew turns out to be something far, far worse. The tension between them onstage is uncomfortable, and Jenna’s fear of her situation is palpable throughout the room. It took a few painful seconds, but the audience applauded the performance.
Sugar, butter and flour are recurring themes throughout the show, as Jenna crafts extraordinary pies with even more bizarre names in her kitchen and in her mind. These moments usually pull her out of the scene, into a world of her own with soft lighting, whimsical music and sometimes elaborate choreography. However, “Soft Place to Land” has Jenna baking the pie alongside her friends — singing about hope, dreams and freedom with the support of her loved ones.
“Soft Place to Land” is my favorite song in the show. The lyrics are overwhelmingly raw and showcase not only a gorgeously dynamic three-part harmony between Jenna, Dawn and Becky, but a genuine friendship.
“I believe that everyone deals with a little good and a little ugly. I feel like that’s something that’s very universal, and that’s what’s so beautiful about theater and specific and specifically this show,” Hodgens said. “To be able to navigate these circumstances through Jenna’s shoes and her lens in order to overcome obstacles and find her inner strength is something I’ll never take for granted.”
However, Act I closes with “Bad Idea,” a funky, upbeat and steamy duet between Jenna and her awkwardly charming and married OBGYN, Dr. Pomotter. The number comes as a bit of a surprise, presenting audiences with a notoriously unethical situation, into which both characters decide to leap headfirst.
At the beginning of Act II, Jenna is forced to reconcile with her choices when she confronts Becky about her own secrets. Edwards-Frederick delivers Becky’s bone-chilling powerhouse solo, “I Didn’t Plan It,” that sets an entirely different tone for the remainder of the show.
The show is not easy to watch at times, but the underlying message of “Waitress” is a positive one, albeit complicated. Remember, this is my favorite show. After her baby is born, Jenna makes several tough but ultimately good decisions for herself, her daughter and their future.
“Waitress” is a slice-of-life story that reminds us how messy life can be and sometimes people do what they have to do to survive, Edwards-Frederick told me over the phone. She said there’s not really a message to the show, but at the end of the day, we’re all human and we should “go through life trying to at least be loving.”
“It’s literally holding the mirror up to nature and saying, ‘This is exactly what happens in the day-to-day,’” Edwards-Frederick said. “Whether or not on stage, it’s a reflection of life.”
I agree, but I also think there’s more to it.
“Waitress” is about how a little bit of kindness and hope can be the spark someone needs to find the courage out of the dark — to leave an abusive relationship, build a better life for themselves and accept the love they deserve.
Do yourself a favor and do not miss this show. Make room in your schedule over the weekend, splurge on the tickets if you have to, but this is just one of those things that is worth pausing to enjoy.
“Waitress” is onstage at Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre, 9301 Michigan Road, for 48 performances now through Aug. 31. Tickets are $57-$85 and include a dinner buffet, fruit and salad bar and select beverages.
For more information, tickets, or to view a full performance schedule, visit beefandboards.com.
Contact Arts & Culture Reporter Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848. Follow her on X @chloe_mcgowanxx.
Chloe McGowan is the Arts & Culture Reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper. Originally from Columbus, OH, Chloe has a bachelor's in journalism from The Ohio State University. She is a former IndyStar Pulliam Fellow, and has previously worked for Indy Maven, The Lantern, and CityScene Media Group. In her free time, Chloe enjoys live theatre, reading, baking and keeping her plants alive.
